Bag and holding and releasing device.



A. J. BERGERON.

BAG AND HOLDING AND RELEASING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 1Au.3l. ms.

1 ,206,747. Patented Nov. 28, 1916;

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A. J. BERGERON.

BAG AND HOLDING AND RELEASING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.3|. I916.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

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A. J. BERGERON.

BAG AND HOLDING AND RELEASING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, I916.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

3 5HEETSSHEET 3- ALEXANDER J. BERGERON, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

BAG- AND HOLDING AND RELEASING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

Application filed January 31, 1916. Serial No. 75,473.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER J. BER- GEBON,a citizen of the United States, and resident of Des Moines, in thecounty of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and usefulBag and Holding and Releasing Device, ofwhich the following is aspecification. 1 r

The object of my invention is to provide a collapsible bag waterproofand air-tight adapted to be sunk in the water and to b inflated forraising loads,

A further object is to provide such a bag having outside rigidreinforcing members capable of lying in two fiat superposed rows or ofmoving to position for forming a cylinder, and adapted to reinforce andsupport the bag.

Still a further object is to provide such a bag having a trip member atitslower end, in combination with an anchoring device adapted to engagesaid trip member.

Still a further object is to provide an anchoring device, and a deviceadaptedto be grasped and held thereby, said second device being adaptedto hold a rope and to release the rope when received within theanchoring device and moved in one direction with relation thereto.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated areattained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation, partly in section of a bag embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged, detail view .of the upper end thereof, partlyin section. Fig. 3, shows a horizontal, sectional view of part of thebag wall. Fig. 1 shows a vertical, sectional view of part of the'bagwall. Fig. 5 shows a top or planview of the upper flat member of the bagshowing the manner in which the reinforcing ropes or cables are securedthereto. Fig. 6 shows a vertical, sectional view of the anchoringdevice, and the catch memberreceived therein. Fig. 7 shows a horizontal,sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 shows a top orplan view of the anchoring device, the shank of the catch member beingshown in horizontal section. p

In the form of my invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawingalhave used, the

reference numeral 10 to indicate generally a waterproof air-tight bag ofsuitable material having a central opening 11 at its upper end. Anannular ring 12 is placed adjacent to the inner surface of thebag 10around the opening 11. On the outside of the bag on the upper endthereof is a disk 13, having at itsperiphery an outwardly extendingflange 14. The disk 13 is provided at its central portion with anupwardly extending cylinder 15, on the interior of which is an annularshoulder 16 forming a valve seat having a downwardly opening hingedvalve 17 Communicating with the upper end of the cylinder 15 is a tube18. At the lowerend of the bag is an annular ring 19 to which is secureda downwardly extending shank 20. Surrounding the central portion of thebag is a plurality of upright rigid members 21 which may be made of woodor the like. Reinforcing cables or ropes 22 are secured to the ring 19and extend upwardly from the rigid reinforcing member 21 through grooves23 in the upper ends of the members 21. There are preferably two of theropes or cables 22 for each reinforcing member 21. At its upper end eachrope or cable '22 is extended through an opening in the flange 14 of thedisk 13, thence downwardly through another opening, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5.

Secured to the upper ends of the members 21 and covering the upper endof the bag 10 is a screen or meshed covering 2&. The ring 12, the disk13 and the upper edges of the meshed screen 24 and bag 13, and the upperedges of the meshed screen 24 and bag 10 are all secured together bymeans of suitable bolts or the like 25, on which are nuts 26.

Secured to the lower endsof the members 21 is a similar meshed screen 27covering the lower end of the bag. It will be noted that the lower endof the bag extends to the point A, and not to the lower ends of themembers 22.

At the lower end of the shank 20 is a hollow cylinder member 28, havinga solid partition or cover member 29 in its upper end screwed on to thelower. end of the lower end of the shank 20 is secured. The lower end ofthe shank; 30 has a vertical :gether and the bag being fiat.

elongated opening 32, to receive a head .33 on the end of the cable orrope 34.

In the wall of the lower portion of the shank 20, which has the opening32, are slots 35 in which are pivoted bell crank levers 36. Springs 37may be supported on the portion 30 to normally engage the outwardlyextending arms of the bell crank levers 36 for holding the other armthereof inwardly in the interior of the lower hollow portion of theshank 20.

Pivoted to the outer ends of the bell crank levers 36 are upwardlyextending rods 38 slidably' extended through the cover member 29 andnormally projecting above said cover member.

On the lower end of the shank 20, which has just been described, Iprovide an anchor device comprising a hollow cylinder 39 having on itslower end a hook member 40, with a catch 41 pivoted thereto. The lowerend of the anchor member may be of any desired form.

At the upper end of the cylinder 39 are opposite pairs of upwardlyextending members 42, shown in Figs. 6 and 8. Mounted within the members42 is an annular ring 43. Hinged to the lower edge of the ring 43 onopposite sides thereof are flat members44 adapted to swing downwardlywithin the cylinder '39. The members 44 are normally held upwardly inposition engaging the lower edge of the ring 43 by means of springs 45,secured to said members 44 and to the ring 43, above said members.

'My' improved bag holding device is designed for use in raising sunkenwrecks and they like from the bottom of the sea.

The members 21 are flexibly hinged together also by means of flexiblecables or ropes 48 extending through them circumferentially of the bag.

In the practical use of my improved invention, the anchor device istaken to the bottom of the sea and anchored to the wreck or the load tobe raised by divers or by means of another invention of mine not hereinfurther referred to.

In the lower portion of the anchoring device is rotatably mounted apulley 46. When the anchoring device is secured to the load to beraised, the cable 34 is left on the pulley 46. One end of the cable isplaced in the hollow lower end of the shank 20 of one of my bags. Theanchoring device having been fixed, the cable 34 is manipulated fordrawing the bag downwardly. The bag is, of course, drawn through waterin its collapsed form, the sides being laid close to- When the bag isdrawn downwardly to the position where it reaches the anchoring device,the

vmembers '30 and 23 are drawn into the cylindex 39 forcing the "members44 downwardly until the cylinder 28 releases said members 44. Then theparts are in this position, the pull on the cable is released, thetendency of the bag to float upwardly in the water will draw thepartition 29 against the members 44, thereby causing the rod 38 toengage the members 44 and release the bell crank levers from the member33, whereupon the cable 34 will be released.

The bag may be filled by means of coinpressed air fed to it through thetube 18. As many air bags may be attached to the load to be raised as isnecessary for the purose.

lVhen the bags reach the surface, the load can be handled by theordinary methods employed by salvage crews and the bags released andlaid on the deck of the boat or the like, until there is no air in them.

It will be noted that when the bag is in the water, considerablepressure will be necessary to fill it, in order to overcome the waterpressure. hen the bag is out of the water, the tube 18 can be releasedfrom the cylinder 15 and the valve 17 opened, emptying the bag of air.

Some changes may be made in the construct1on and arrangement of theparts of reinforcing members against longitudinal movement with relationto the bag, a rigid member mounted atthe upper end of the bag, a rigidmember mounted below the lower end of the bag, and a supporting andreinforcing member capable of connecting said rigid members andextending from said first described reinforcing members.

2. Ina device of the class described, an air-tight water proof baghaving an opening at one end. a rigid reinforcing member on the interiorof said bag, surrounding said opening, a rigid reinforcing member on theexterior of said bag surrounding said opening, a valve seat formed onthe interior of said second member, a valve adapted to coact with saidseat,'said second rigid member having a central. opening adjacent tosaid valve seat, rigid reinforcing members arranged in a series aroundthe circumference of the central portion of the bag, said mem hers beingflexibly connected tog the ia com- .my improved bag without departingfrom meshed reinforcing member secured to the upper ends of said lastdescribed reinforcing members and to the second rigid member at theupper end of the bag, a rigid member below the lower end of the bag, ameshed reinforcing member covering the lower end of said bag and securedto the lower ends of said flexibly connected mem bers, reinforcingmembers capable of securing the rigid member at the top of the bag andthe rigid member at the lower end thereof, and extending outside saidflexibly connected reinforcing members.

3. In a device of the class described, an anchor comprising a cylinder,a grappling device at one end thereof, a rotary member mounted in saidcylinder below the upper end thereof, downwardly opening hinged membersat the upper end of said cylinder, means for limiting the upwardmovement of said hinged members, means for yieldingly holding saidhinged members in their upper position, and a coacting device comprisinga shank having an enlarged head thereon.

a. In a device of the class described, an anchor comprising a cylinder,a grappling device at one end thereof, a rotary member mounted in saidcylinder below the upper end thereof, downwardly opening hinged membersat the upper end of said cylinder, means for limiting the upwardmovement of said hinged members, means for yieldingly holding saidhinged members in their upper position, and a coacting device comprisinga shank having an enlarged head thereon, said coacting device having inits lower end an opening receiving a rope, pivoted trigger membersprojecting into said opening, upright rods pivotally mounted on saidtrigger members and projecting upwardly above the head of said shank.

5. In a device of the class described, an anchor comprising a cylinder,at grappling device at one end thereof, a rotary member mounted in saidcylinder below the upper end thereof, downwardly opening hinged membersat the upper end of said cylinder,

means for limiting the upward movement of said hinged members, means foryieldingiy holding said hinged members in their upper position, and acoacting device comprising a shank having an enlarged head thereon, saidcoacting device having in its lower end an opening receiving a rope,trigger members projecting .into said opening and pivotally mounted onthe coacting device, upright rods pivotally connected with said triggermembers and projecting upwardly above the head of said shank, a ropemember extended around the said rotary member having a head thereonadapted to be received in the lower end of said coacting device.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of an inflatablebag with an anchoring device, said bag and anchoring device havingengaging members adapted to coact for locking them together when theyare moved to certain relative positions, a rotating member on saidanchoring device, a flexible member extended through a portion of saidanchoring device and extended over said rotatory device and means forsecuring said flexible device to the engaging device on the bag adaptedto automatically release the flexible device when said engaging deviceis in a certain relative position and the bag is drawn away from theanchoring device.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of an engagingmember with an anchoring device adapted to receive said engaging device,means on said anchorlng device for holding said engaging device againstthe removal of the said anchoring device when the engaging device 18 soreceived, aflexible device extended through a portion of the anchoringdevice and means for securing one end of said flexible device to saidengaging member adapted to automatically release said flexible devicewhen force is applied to draw said engaging member out of said anchoringdevice.

Des Moines, Iowa, January 12, 1916.

ALEXANDER J. BERGERON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. G.

